


Where earth and ocean meet

by roromir



Series: Voltron Vacation [2]
Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Beach Vacation, Confessing Feelings, Cuban Lance (Voltron), F/M, Female Pronouns for Pidge | Katie Holt, First Kiss, Fluff, Fluff and Humor, Getting Together, Kissing, Pidge | Katie Holt-centric, Vacation, let them rest, plance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-04-12
Updated: 2018-04-12
Packaged: 2019-04-21 20:15:23
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,343
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14292603
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/roromir/pseuds/roromir
Summary: What better time to make a risky confession than at the beginning of a weeklong vacation?





	Where earth and ocean meet

The planet had beaches. Beaches. It might as well have been heaven.

Allura had arranged everything at an exotic resort, the location uncannily similar to Earth seaside destinations but just foreign enough to keep things interesting. The town’s version of a hotel featured low-slung suites connected via shared dining areas. 

The Paladins and crew booked their rooms for an entire week, footsteps from sandy beaches and glistening waves, and Lance didn’t even CARE if was a flimsy excuse for Shiro, Allura and Keith to get it on the entire time. 

He wished them no ill will, as he planned to stay well out of earshot of their suites. His goals were to spend as much time as physically possible in the sun and the emerald waves of the planet, and also to get some quality downtime with his favorite people off earth, Pidge and Hunk.

Allura seemed to have arranged their stay with privacy in mind, with the three lovers’ suites of rooms a short, but adequate walk from the grouping where Lance, Pidge, Hunk and Coran had their own rooms.  
All Lance knew was it was part of Shiro’s birthday present, and that was all he needed to know. 

By the time Lance blinked awake after his first night in the luxurious bed, the warm winds blowing his curtains, Coran and Hunk had already left for the marketplace to find spices and anything else they could use to make mealtimes aboard the castleship more palatable. 

Lance scooted out of bed and pulled on shorts and a T-shirt he’d fabricated on the ship with Pidge’s help.  
Scrubbing a hand at his hair, he padded, barefoot, into the common area, where he found Pidge curled up in a chair, clutching at a steaming cup of something. 

“Morning,” Lance murmured, knowing his fellow Paladin was typically slow to wake. 

He bit back a smile as she simply grunted in response, her hair wild and eyes unfocused as she allowed the stimulant from the beverage to coax her up the path to wakefulness. 

Moving slow himself, he found a carafe of the light green liquid set on a counter next to a platter with some native fruits and vaguely breakfast-looking items. 

He realized Pidge hadn’t made it to the stage where she was ready to eat. Just in case, he piled enough food for both of them on a plate and poured himself a cup of the hot drink. While Lance still missed coffee, this drink had a heady flavor something like yerba mate. It would do. 

He plopped into the chair next to Pidge and set down his mug and plate. She eyed the plate and Lance over her mug, unmoved by his offering. 

“I’m not hungry yet,” she grumbled, her breath blowing the steam from her drink toward Lance. 

“Didn’t say you had to eat anything,” he countered easily.

He munched on the pastry-like items and considered the green paladin as she began to awaken fully. It was hard for him to hide how fond he was of the night owl, even if he was the brunt of her early morning crabbiness. 

“Are you going salvaging or do you wanna come to the beach with me?” He raised his eyebrows hopefully. “Get a little sun?”

Pidge picked up a piece of fruit and sniffed it before taking a tentative bite. 

“I told Hunk I’d wait to go salvaging so he could go, too,” she said, her voice sounding more like her normal pitch and losing its sleepy roughness. “I’ll go to the beach with you if you don’t make me get in the water.” 

Lance’s mouth dropped open in mock offense. Pidge smirked at him, unrepentant. 

“The water’s the best part, Pidge!”

“No, the best part is sitting on the warm sand under some shade and watching you make a fool of yourself,” she said. 

Lance laughed, throwing his head back. “You must really like sand, since you can watch me be an idiot anywhere.” 

Pidge tipped her mug, finishing her drink. She set it down next to Lance’s and looked at him steadily, seeming to make a decision. She leaned toward him and then patted him on the cheek, not ungently. 

“The location’s not what I like, Lance.” She stood and gazed at him, cheeks a little pink, watching the wheels turn in his head. It took only a moment, after all; despite their jokes, he was no dummy. 

A slow smile spread over his face. It was nothing like the flirtatious affectation he had been so fond of around other girls, alien or human, for what felt to her like an interminably long time. But right now, to Pidge, the soft joy in his face looked like the sunrise. She’d die before she spoke that mushy thought aloud, however. 

“Is that so,” Lance mused softly. He leaned forward in his seat slowly, his arms relaxed on the arms of the chair. He telegraphed his movements, his eyes not leaving Pidge’s face. He stopped short of touching her, but his posture stayed open. 

Pidge stepped into the open space between his relaxed legs, placing her hands on his broad, muscled shoulders and leaning in a hair’s breadth from his lips. 

“Yup,” she breathed. She felt a delicious thread of tension snapping between them. 

It was so tempting to give in, but Pidge was nothing if not patient. 

Before Lance could move, she darted back, grinning, and ran toward her room. “I’mma get dressed!”

“Okay,” Lance replied weakly, his hands lifting to cover his burning cheeks. He couldn’t stop smiling. He had so many things he wanted to ask Pidge, so many things he wanted to share in return, but he knew if he didn’t take it easy, she was liable to get spooked. 

She wanted to run the show, and that -- he shook his head a little in wonder -- that was fine by him. 

Belatedly, he gathered the plate and mugs and took them to the food prep area, rinsing them off, his mind racing. 

It felt like the start to a really good week. 

.

Lance felt blessed by the castleship’s fabricating abilities every time he pulled on a garment that wasn’t his -- now quite ratty -- army green jacket. It wasn’t quite as satisfying as finding cool vintage garments at markets or malls, but the paladin didn’t take it for granted that they all had color-coded clothing for nearly every situation the universe could throw their way. 

And that included swimwear. Lance had received a basic pair of blue-and-white board shorts and a simple white tank top with the armpits cut low. It felt like something he might wear to play baseball in back home. 

It also felt a little skimpy compared to the paladin armor, Lance thought as he waited for Pidge. He bounced on the balls of his bare feet, feeling antsy as the minutes ticked on. 

“Hey, Pidge?” Lance called out, feeling a touch unmoored. “You okay in there?” 

He heard a thump and some rustling sounds followed by a string of curses only a Holt could spew without a blush. 

“Yeah, I’m just -- mother fuck! -- I’m almost ready,” Pidge called. 

Lance heard her footsteps come up to the doorway, and then it sounded like she was taking a few slow, deep breaths. Finally, the door whooshed open, and Lance almost let his jaw drop to the floor. He schooled his expression before Pidge looked at him, her face pinking. 

She wore similar board shorts to Lance’s, except in gray, but instead of her usual long-sleeved shirts she wore aboard the castleship, Pidge had donned a green crop top with sleeves that just covered her shoulders. Lance could see the freckles decorating her collarbones, and beneath the hem of the top, her toned stomach. It was the barest he’d ever seen her and he was gonna stop that train of thought right the heck now before his face betrayed him. 

Pidge’s hair, which had grown past her shoulders since they became paladins, was softly tousled and a small braid was woven from the top of her head to her right ear. 

“I found beach towels,” Pidge said abruptly. “Are you ready to do absolutely nothing?”

“Hell yeah I am,” Lance said loudly. “You look amazing, bee tee dubs.” 

Pidge snorted. “Thanks, memelord.” Lance ducked ahead and held open the door for Pidge, who had two large towels tucked under her arm. “Just so you know, if you ever say ‘milady,’ to me, this whole thing is cancelled.” 

Lance grinned. “I would never,” he said, closing the door behind them and squinting into the bright sun of the tropical biome. “I look terrible in a fedora, anyway.”

They walked down the sandy paths leading to the beach, holographic signs in a language they couldn’t read -- but helpful illustrations getting the point across -- leading the way. Beings of every imaginable shape and size lined the beach, where cabanas and umbrellas provided relief from the sun’s rays. One slimy-looking trio looked none too pleased with the sand sticking to their tentacles as they slid over the dunes, and Lance skirted around them with caution. 

He found a stand where beach-goers could rent umbrellas and chairs and pointed to what he wanted, trying to communicate with the cashier. Allura had given them all GAC cards before they split up. Lance didn’t want to know what would happen if Coran tried to use the Altean money printed with Groggory the Infirm on this planet, but the cards, basically debit cards, allowed them to fly under the radar as much as possible. It felt a little icky using the currency of the empire they were trying to topple, but sacrifices had to be made for a week of peaceful recreation, he supposed. 

No giant robot lions would be needed on this trip, Lance hoped. 

Lance and Pidge found their umbrella, muttering to each other as they gawked at the diverse lifeforms enjoying the beach, and Pidge began spreading out the towels. They were round and reminded Lance more of rugs than beach towels. Lance plopped down on one and promptly dug his toes into the reddish sand, sighing blissfully. 

“Feels like home,” he said with a dopey smile aimed Pidge’s way. She couldn’t help but grin back at Lance as any remaining tension melted from his frame. Within minutes, he dropped down to lay on his towel, his head propped up on one elbow as he looked around the beach and back at Pidge. He was looking a lot at her, she noticed. 

She had one leg tucked under her and leaned back on her hand, trying to decide how to jump back into the topic of her feelings for her fellow paladin. It had felt right to tell him today, when they had time to talk about it without their nosy teammates around. And Matt was on a supply run for the rebels, so he wouldn’t be around to do the big-brother thing. 

“So, Pidge,” Lance murmured, gazing up at her. “We gonna talk about some stuff today?” 

“Yuuup,” she said, drawing out the word. She played with the soft fibers of the beach towel as she arranged the words in her head. She huffed a sigh and decided the silence was worse than stumbling over it. “I used up all my cool earlier, so I’m just gonna word vomit at you now, okay?”

Lance just nodded and reached over to pat Pidge on her calf, the closest part of her he could reach from his sprawl on the beach towel. “I’m listening,” he said.

“I like you,” she replied. “I trust you. We get each other, we work well together, and I’m glad we are paladins of Voltron together. I know you have my back, and I have yours.”

She settled her hand over his where it lay, his sun-warmed skin sending sparks from her fingertips up her arm. He turned his palm up and intertwined his long fingers with hers. 

“For… a while now, I have thought that I had a crush on you, but I wasn’t really sure what to compare it to,” she explained, her words coming rapid-fire. “You know that for the longest time, I didn’t GET crushes, and then my family was imprisoned by the Galra and I couldn’t even think about that kind of stuff because all I could worry about was finding them in time. But I realized these dumb, gross feelings about you weren’t going away, and I kind of knew you liked me, so I thought it was only fair to give you a heads up that I like you, too.” 

Lance laughed a little, wrinkling his nose at her as she gulped in a breath. He shifted so he was sitting up, facing her, still holding her hand. 

“Aw, Pidge! You liiiike me -- kidding, kidding!” he snorted as she scowled. “Thank you for telling me, and you’re definitely not wrong. I do like you. Like-like you. But I gotta ask - how did you know?”

Pidge looked at him like he was an adorable imbecile. 

“Lance.” She squeezed his hand. “You -- and I say this with love -- you broadcast your thoughts more than any of us paladins. We all know you sharted in 10th grade and left your chonies in the bathroom’s trash. We know you miss Veronica and your Abuelita and you can’t wait to see them again. And I don’t know if everyone else knows, but I definitely have heard you think I’m smart and funny and my hair looks pretty and I’m the perfect height for you to wrap your arms around me and put your head on top of my head --” 

Lance was going to jettison himself into space. He was going to hijack the castle of lions to fly it into orbit and throw himself out an airlock. He had tried so hard to shield his thoughts every time they trained and fought, and yet he was basically live-streaming every detail of his smitten idiocy. 

“Okaayyyy!” Lance threw himself to the ground, ducking his head into his shirt and tossing his arms over his burning face. “I get it. My attempts at keeping my feelings to myself failed miserably. I’ve got a big, loosey goosey head hole that thoughts just fall out of like a piñata. Voy a pensar completamente en español para siempre, ay carajo…” 

Pidge scooted onto Lance’s beach towel and tugged gently on his shirt until his eyes were peeking out of the neckline. 

“Hey,” she said, looking contrite. “I’m sorry. I wasn’t trying to embarrass you, Lance. Not too much, anyway. I just -- I know how you feel, and I feel the same way about you. I think you’re an incredible paladin and friend, I think you’re an amazing person and WOW, you are really cute and I wanted to punch all those flirty aliens on Marsell last phoeb. I want you to hug me and tuck me under your chin, and I want you to kiss me, and it’s been really hard not to tell you but I didn’t want Matt and Hunk up in our business.” 

Lance’s eyes widened incrementally as Pidge rapidly said a lot of things he had wanted to hear desperately, but hadn’t believed he ever would. He held out his hand and felt his heartbeat in his ears as she placed her smaller hand in his. Her hands were soft, but her fingernails were bitten short, he observed. With the blood rushing in his head like a waterfall, he tugged gently until she moved into his space, his free hand falling to her bare hip. One of her hands landed on his chest, near the neckline of his shirt, and she let go of his hand to slide the other into the soft hair on the back of his neck. Using a featherlight touch, he brushed his hand from her cheek to her chin.

He thought surely she could feel his heart pounding where her hand rested. She was looking at his lips; she glanced up from under her eyelashes and met his gaze with a smile. 

They drifted together and then Pidge’s lips were touching his, and it was better than Lance could have imagined. Pidge’s lips were a little chapped, but they fit against his better than anyone else’s ever had. Her short nails scratched soft on his scalp and his hand squeezed her hip. He could feel her chest rise and fall as they learned the feel of each other’s lips. 

Kissing Pidge was also worse than he could have imagined because in that moment, it became the only thing he wanted to do for the rest of time. 

Zarkon could have the universe, Lance thought; Pidge was the only part of it that mattered. Despite himself, Lance gasped as Pidge twisted her hand in his shirt and pulled his body closer, and then her tongue was darting out to touch his lips and Lance was probably going to die. He was Frenching Pidge on a sandy beach and if you’d told him his daydreams since he fell for the scientist would more or less come true, he’d have laughed until he gave himself the hiccups, yet here he was. 

Lance touched his tongue to her lip, and when Pidge’s lips parted on the tiniest moan, he licked into her mouth and found she still tasted of the green tea-like drink and fruit from breakfast. The sharp, sweet flavors suited her perfectly, he thought. The pair tangled together under the shade of the cabana, Pidge perched in Lance’s lap as hands slid over exposed skin and their breath mingled. 

Pidge broke from the kiss only to begin mouthing along Lance’s jaw, finding a spot just under his ear that when kissed and nipped made him make a very embarrassing noise. Lance’s eyes rolled back in his head as Pidge licked kittenishly at the site and tugged at his earlobe with her lips. 

He blinked into the sunlight and noticed something strange. When they’d selected their spot, plenty of other beach goers were between them and the shore, but now they were gone and the shore had crept alarmingly close as they were otherwise occupied. 

“Pidge, I think we need to move,” Lance said with perhaps not enough urgency, as she was still exploring his neck and its junction with his shoulder. 

“You’re not getting to second base this moment,” she murmured into his collarbone. “We can stay right here.” 

“No, that’s not — Pidge, the water!” Lance took her by the shoulders and pulled away slightly. “The tide is coming in.” 

“Oh, fuck, okay,” Pidge said, taking quick stock of the situation. The beach’s deep green color came from a populous seaweed and the encroaching waves were filled with tangles of the plants. 

The two jumped up, grabbing the blankets and their bags, and dashed through the shallow waves to get around the walls of the woven cabana. The seaweed leaves wrapped around their legs, tangling together in a mildly alarming fashion, and Pidge shrieked while Lance laughed and shouted “ewwww!” 

They ran up the beach a safe distance from the tides and picked the wet weeds from their legs, where they were quickly staining their skin. 

“Well, this is weird,” Lance commented, shaking seaweed from his fingers. “How the quiznack do they keep the beach clean?” 

Pidge pointed a couple yards down the beach at the slimy-looking creatures they’d seen grumping about earlier, who were now gliding along the water’s edge, scooping tentaclefuls of plant matter into their beaked mouths. 

“The eldritch horrors there seem to be the custodians,” she observed, grabbing Lance’s hand and stepping backwards toward the path back to their hotel. “Let’s go get cleaned up before we’re both green paladins.” 

“Har har,” Lance said. “Hey, what do you want to tell everyone else about us?” 

“We can tell them whatever you want,” Pidge smiled as they swung their clasped hands between them. “As long as I get you all to myself this week.”

**Author's Note:**

> This fic came about because I have a soft spot for Plance and my mind started to wander after I finished ‘Don’t Surprise Me,’ another fic Pidge and Lance are in the background of.  
> Thanks to rueitae for betaing and helping me give this little story an ending!  
> If you like this, I’d love if you left a comment or a kudos!


End file.
